Comments (7)

I’ve commented on your blog before on a post that you did about whether or not Google’s move to a more complex Zagat rating system will harm or hurt Google. I’ll repeat it here. There is no way the Zagat system works in the long run. If I’m wrong, I’ll eat crow. Your average customer is not going to take the time to go through a complex review process – especially if their experience was positive. Getting customers to leave positive reviews for businesses is like pulling teeth to begin with. There is a reason sites like Amazon and eBay (and Yelp) have a simple star rating system!

I agree with Travis. Not quite as spectacular as the New Coke re-brand fail, but a fail none the less. Yelps win here indicates a Google lose, IMO.
My clients report that the stars are very helpful, not sure on the numbers, but I bet if there are enough to indicate a consensus, then volume is meaningful.

That’s interesting. Wish we knew how much of the traffic was organic and how much is direct. In my area, Tripadvisor far ouranks Yelp for individual restaurant searches. Yelp may get a lot of reviews but there are other review sites that rank better.

I’ve found Yelp to be helpful… I’ve found places using Yelp that I didn’t even know existed in my area. One thing about Yelp compared to Chowhound. Yelp seems to have many more active members which results in a broader coverage of restaurants.